COVID-19 Update March 21

If you are able, I want to encourage you to spend some time outside this weekend.
As spring advances, we should all pause and appreciate the gift of life that is out
there to discover.

I also hope that you find the time to call someone you love. Today, I received a call
from a dear friend from high school – an ENT surgeon from Los Angeles – who will soon
report to the emergency room for backup duty. He realizes, and shared, the risk he
faces. Hearing his voice, sharing a few laughs and listening to his care and concern
for me made my day.

We all need to take care of one another. It feels all the more important as communities
implement mandatory orders to stay at home.

That brings me to my sole update for today – the City of St. Louis’ “stay at home” order announced by Mayor Lyda Krewson. Here is what I know:

Saint Louis University is committed to providing remote learning for the remainder
of the semester. We are communicating with city officials to understand what the Mayor’s
announcement means for SLU and the several hundred students who continue to live on
campus.

We are preparing for this order to go into effect starting at 6 p.m., Monday, March
23. Tomorrow, we hope to have additional guidance about what this means for SLU.

In closing, I want to remind you that your Billiken family is here for you. We share
in your grief for the loss of this time together, and we sit in the same discomfort
with this new normal. Though we might be a ‘communitas ad dispersionem’ – a community in dispersion – we continue to be united in spirit as one SLU.

Sincerely,

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.President Note: If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Students can also contact the Counseling Center at 314-977-TALK
(8255). SLU employees can also contact the Employee Assistance Program at (800) 859-9319.